I feel like we all need a bit of Joan Mitchell in our lives right now. After such a crazy time over the past ~2 years, the amazing color of the Joan Mitchell exhibit at SFMOMA in San Francisco is just what the doctor ordered. It took my breath away on multiple occasions.
Dear Husband and I have been to a number of exhibits during the pandemic; we’ve actually explored the city more than we ever did pre-COVID. We did a deep dive into SFMOMA, hit the Legion of Honor twice, and visited multiple museums during our East Coast college tour this past summer.
A bit of background on Joan Mitchell
I’ll be frank, I had never heard of Joan Mitchell until I started hearing the buzz about this exhibit. And I’m very glad I am starting to discover her work. In the video below, Stanley Whitney describes her as “fearless”, and that seems right. She lived an unconventional life, moving between NYC and France, and took risks throughout her career. Moving from gallery to gallery in the Joan Mitchell exhibit, it was wonderful to see how her art evolved over the decades. And my, the colors!
Funnily enough, the colors reminded me of some of the Hermes scarves I have been perusing online.
Those blues!! The lovely combinations of unexpected colors…
While I miss the timed entry of early COVID times, the museum was still not very crowded. I do recommend getting there early, so you have space to really enjoy the art. There’s something about walking into an empty room, with these huge, colorful paintings on the wall that might not be as impactful if the room is crowded.
There was something about the painting below that really appealed to me. The colors, perhaps? I thought of a couple of my favorite fountain pen inks and reminded myself to pull them out when I get home.
Dear Husband was grumbling a bit- he’s not a fan of “modern art.” I think he just doesn’t respond to color the way that I do. Nothing wrong with that, but for those of you who do love color, how can you not be blown away by this art??
Artifacts and Memorabilia
I love the artifacts that these types of exhibits include. Letters, postcards, books and memorabilia are all wonderful ways to imagine the life of the artist. The Joan Mitchell exhibit didn’t have lots, but the few items they did have were very memorable.
If you’re in San Francisco before January 17, do try to make a visit to the Joan Mitchell exhibit. It really did wake up my senses and has inspired me to bring more color into my own life.
Joan Mitchell exhibit, September 4, 2021-January 17, 2022
SFMOMA, 151 Third St, San Francisco, CA 94103
